1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to antennas and more particularly to marine antennas and mountings for marine antennas.
2. Description of the Related Art
Boats, and particularly pleasure craft, are frequently fitted with a multitude of antennas for a variety of purposes. For example, a single vessel may have antennas for CB, VHF, UHF, TV, AM/FM, cell phone, Orbcomm™ communications, satellite phone, SSB, GPS, and/or a multiband antenna, all in addition to radar. Each antenna has unique design constraints for optimum performance, but one feature common to all is a requirement to receive or transmit at one or more resonant frequencies.
Many marine antennas are mounted to an arch, often called a radar arch or an antenna arch. However, the different designs for the multitude of antennas and different location requirements for optimum performance often leave an antenna arch unsightly with a number of different antennas mounted thereto.
There is a need to provide clean lines and appearance for antenna mountings in marine applications. But no common design accommodates the multitude of antennas available today.